A successful business may depend on the office environment in which the business' employees work and in which customers interact with the business. Employees are generally more productive in a safe and comfortable workplace and in a rewarding job. Customers are generally more satisfied when interacting with pleasant employees in an efficient and customer-friendly manner. Existing office environments and processes for customer interaction have some shortcomings that result in unhappy employees and unhappy customers and as a result, a less successful business.
In a branch office of a bank, for example, the traditional customer interaction process and the traditional office environment have some shortcomings. For basic banking transactions (e.g., deposits, withdrawals and cashing checks), the customer meets with a teller who is generally trained only to perform these basic banking transactions. Traditional bank tellers at a traditional teller console have limited access to information for customers and a limited ability to provide additional services to the customer. For customer service and purchasing additional bank products, the customer generally meets with a separate customer service representative or other bank worker at a different location within the bank. For marketing materials, the customer may be presented with pre-printed brochures positioned at various locations within the bank.
As a result of this traditional customer interaction process, both the bank employees and customers may be unsatisfied. The tellers are often unhappy with the monotonous and unrewarding job of handling only basic transactions. Customers are often inconvenienced by the limited information and capabilities at the teller console and may have an unpleasant experience because of an unhappy teller. Customer's also have difficulty obtaining current marketing materials (e.g., with current interest rates) directed specifically at the customer's needs.
The existing console arrangement also may not provide the customer with adequate privacy. When the teller provides the customer with sensitive information involving the customer's account, for example, that information may be overheard by other customers. Federal laws require banks to protect consumer's financial private information from unauthorized access.